As many of you know, my friend’s car was stolen a few weeks ago while we were at a fundraiser for the CNM Culinary Department Scholarship fund. I had just finished competing in an appetizer mystery basket competition (my team came in second) I had just put my knives and tools in the car and went to speak to my chef and the chefs at the Hyatt. We returned to the car 45 minutes later and it was gone.

The car was recovered a few days later, but my gear (more than $3000 of knives, cases and specialty kitchen gear) was never found.

Ken Hargis installed a Paypal button here and helped me immensely. My friends donated more than $1500 to help me replace my gear. Another couple of friends made me a loan of $1000. Through clever shopping and the liberal use of discount coupons, I have managed to replace almost everything I must have to continue school and my catering. In some cases, I was able to get a better version of the knife or tool for less than I had paid for the item it replaced.

My honey, Jenn, has been a rock through this. In the past, I would have been overwhelmed by this hit to my life.

I am humbled and amazed by the generosity of my friends. You guys are awesome. Thanksgiving is even more meaningful to me this year.

A few simple tips for a smoothly running Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving feast can be one of the most intimidating meals for the novice home cook. Perhaps the family matriarch has been the cook for decades and now the mantle of responsibility has shifted.

It’s not necessary to produce the classic dinner, with all the grueling and time-consuming work of the past.

There are a number of simple ways to streamline the day’s cooking.

First, if turkey is on the menu, try breaking down the turkey into more manageable pieces. The thawing, brining and cooking will go so much more quickly if the turkey is not in one giant piece.

Removing the skin in its entirety produces a great medium for wrapping small appetizers. Just cut pieces of the skin and fill with seasoned rice, vegetables or stuffing. These morsels will cook off quickly in the oven and crisp up beautifully.

A bird can be broken down while it is still slightly frozen. Simply remove the drumsticks at the joint and set aside. The thighs can be removed as well.

Split the breast down the center of the breastbone and remove the breasts whole. The ribcage can be removed or left attached. Much of the edible meat can be removed from the carcass the night before, prior to brining the parts. Simmer the carcass overnight with some carrots, onions and celery for a delicious stock that will be the base for gravy and for braising. The separate parts are now small enough to brine in gallon freezer bags. A simple brine is nothing more than a gallon of water with a cup of kosher salt and a half cup of sugar. Add a bit of crushed garlic, some pepper and thyme and the brine will add flavor and moisture with no more effort than soaking the turkey parts in the fridge overnight. With the skin removed, the breast needs something to protect it from drying. A crust of some sort does the job admirably. Seasoned crushed nuts such as pecans, hazelnuts or pistachios work great when stuck to the breast with an egg wash. Alternately, seasoned bread crumbs or panko will work as well.

The crust will crisp and help the breast retain moisture. The breast itself will take a fraction of the time to cook compared to a whole bird.

The drumsticks of a turkey are tough but flavorful; perfect for braising. Season the legs with salt and pepper and any herbs desired and brown in a bit of oil in a hot, heavy pan. Add a good amount of stock and cover the pan. The legs can be braised at low heat on the stovetop or in a low oven. If a crock pot of sufficient size is available, the legs will braise perfectly at the lowest setting. Braising will begin to dissolve the tough tendons in the legs and make the stock even more luscious.

Cutting the bone out of the thigh pieces after they have been brined will leave pieces of meat that can be laid out, filled with spinach and cheese and then tied up and roasted.

The breasts can also be split with a sharp knife and stuffed. Be sure to put the thigh pieces in first, as the breast meat cooks very quickly and is easily dried out.

Cook all turkey, especially stuffed pieces, to 165°F. Use a calibrated meat thermometer at the thickest part of the meat.

There are as many recipes for Thanksgiving side dishes as there are families. Use a family recipe or just go wild. Take a favorite type of cuisine and hijack the flavoring for an exciting side dish. Teriyaki green beans? Go for it. Red or green chile mashed potatoes? Sounds great. There are no rules. If there are guests who need a low glycemic side dish, try a cauliflower puree in place of mashed potatoes.

Add diced apples and orange slices to fresh and dried cranberries and cook down for an exciting twist on the classic sauce. Frozen vegetables are a perfect start to any side. The addition of nuts is always a seasonal favorite.

Squash and other seasonal vegetables are also a great source of sides. Roasted, or simmered and pureed squash can be seasoned to make a savory or a sweet side dish.

Some research, whether through old family recipes or online can be a great resource for interesting side dishes for a Thanksgiving feast no matter if you want a classic meal or an exotic sampling of flavors.

Folks I keep in close contact with know that my friend’s car was stolen while we were at a fundraiser for the CNM Culinary Arts Scholarship fund. My knives, my backpack and some specialty cooking and baking tools were in the trunk. In total, I lost more than $3500 of equipment and books.

If you cook a lot, you know that good tools and knives are key to getting good food done quickly and properly.

Ken installed a paypal button here so my friends can help out. I have gotten a great response and I’m waiting for paypal to transfer funds to my bank so I can replace the lost items.

Please help however you can. If you are broke like I am, how about you post a recipe or a great punk song here.

I will be posting some more recipes and pics soon, so keep tuned!

There’s a new instructor for CULN 2212. Chef Mark Patel is a badass. CIA Grad who also worked at Chez Panisse. We started class with the usual first day stuff, then he threw us in the kitchen to make two identical plates with Entree, veg, starch and sauce. We had to use chicken which we broke down from a whole bird. I made Pollo alla Diavolo, Roasted Root Veggies and sauteed Broccolini and Wax Beans. He liked my food, but was not a fan of my presentation. Presentation has always been my weakness in the kitchen. It looks like that’s the main thing we’ll be working on this semester!

I managed to get all my classes on Tues and Thurs which is great, but it means I am at school 12 hours those days.

Oh well. If I end up with the IT job, I can work MWF and everything will be awesome!

What have you done that’s new?

I have been busy drying tomatoes and red jalapenos. I plan on starting a bunch of jerky once I get back from Battlemoor. How about youse guys? What do you use your dehydrators for? And what cuts and marinades do you use for jerky?

Comment below!

Today begins the fall semester! I’m really excited about the global cuisine class I’m taking. I’m still with the CNM Chronicle as copy chief and food writer, but it looks like instead of spending my own money to do reviews, I’ll be writing a monthly or twice-monthly food column. I will post all those here the week after they are published.

The really exciting news is that I have applied to be an Instructional Technician for the Culinary Arts program at CNM. It’s sorta like a TA position and a bit like a high-powered go-fer. I would be helping the Chef with mise en place, ordering and demos. Plus (yay!) inventory. I’m really hoping I get it. It would make life so much easier having a job that automatically works with my school schedule.

Wish me luck!

We would all love to have a dedicated smoker, but those things are either super expensive, or a giant pain to make. You can get a quick smoke using nothing but a multi-zone propane grill.

It’s pretty simple. So simple a metal-head could do it.

1.  Choose what ya wanna smoke.

2. Get some trimmings from a hardwood tree. I love apricot, but apple or pear works wonderfully too. I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of Hickory or Mesquite, which are traditional further east, but any kind of hard wood will do.

3. Cut the wood to lengths small enough to fit in the grill. 8 to 12 inches should do. The wispy branches are great, but need soaking. The best stuff is half an inch to one and a half inches thick.

4. If you have a new-fangled grill with the super hi-tech heat diffusers, you will have to remove them as they prevent the wood from actually smoking without cooking the hell out of your product.

5. Get some piece of metal to keep the ashes from falling through the grilles. I use an old fajita plate

and it seems to work pretty well. It will also keep the smaller bits of wood from bursting into flame.

6. Turn on all zones of the grill on high to cook off anything left over, then clean the grilles well.

7. Turn off all but one burner (or two if you have more than 5 zones) Turn the heat down to low. Place the wood on the sizzle plate and put it on the burners you left on.

8. Put your product on the bottom of the side furthest from the burner(s)

9. Allow to go for a while, checking occasionally that the wood is beginning to smoke.

10. This is not a “fire and forget” process like using a real smoker, so crack a beer, turn on some loud-ass punk and take care of some other things, remembering to check progress every 10 or so minutes.

11. If your grill gets too hot, wedge something to keep it open. We are smoking, not cooking.

12. If the wood won’t smoke, set some over the edge of your sizzle plate. If it burns too quickly, spray it with water or beer to keep it from flaming up.

13. Continue to check and fiddle with the wood. Every grill, each type of food, each type of wood will give different results, so this is a fun way to experiment.

14. The food will take anywhere from an hour for thin strips of meat, to several hours for large pork roasts or beef briskets. Whole chickens will take anywhere from 2 to 4  hours to cook through.

15. Have fun with this and let me know how it works for you.

I’m making a sample Green Chile Stew for Ken and Jess’ wedding. I will post the actual recipe later, but my “secret” is to smoke the whole chickens before I do anything else. I’m using apricot wood, but any hardwood will do. Fruit is best.

Does anyone have any cool tips or hints on Green Chile Stew? Post in the comments.